Modern Beijing | National Capital, China | National Capital, People’s Republic of China

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• published: 10 Aug 2015
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Exclusive Video: "Beijing City View", Hebei Province, People's Republic of China, Asia, Earth. Founded: c. 723 b.c.; First Known as Beijing: 1421 Location: North China Plain Time Zone: 8 pm Chinese time=noon Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) Ethnic Composition: Han, 96.2% Elevation: 30–40 m (100–130 ft) Latitude and Longitude: 39°55'N, 166°25'E Coastline: None Climate : Continental monsoon climate in a temperate zone, with long winters and hot, rainy summers Annual Mean Temperature: 12°C (53°F); January–4°C (24°F); July 26°C (79°F) Average Annual Precipitation: 635 mm (25 in) Government: Centrally administered by the national government Weights and Measures: Metric system, with some use of traditional Chinese units Monetary Units: Yuan (also called kuai); Monetary system called Renminbi ("people's currency") (abbreviation: Rmb) Telephone Area Codes: 10 (Beijing area code); 86 (China country code) 1. Introduction Located on the North China Plain in the north-central part of the country, Beijing (also known as Peking) is the capital of the People's Republic of China and its second-largest city. As the political and cultural center of one of the world's largest and oldest countries almost continuously for nearly 800 years, Beijing has had a colorful and fascinating history, from its days as the aristocratic imperial "center of the world" to revolution, foreign occupation, and civil war in the twentieth century. During the last two decades of the twentieth century, Beijing was transformed yet again, as the economic liberalization and modernization of the post-Mao Zedong era turned the formerly austere Communist capital into a bustling commercial metropolis and tourist center and home to a thriving consumer economy. (Mao Zedong, 1893–1976, was the founder of the People's Republic of China and ruled from 1949 to 1959, but he remained chairman of the politburo until his death.) 2. Getting There: Beijing is situated in the southern part of the North China Plain, with the Taihang and Yanshan mountains to the north and west and a flat plain to the southeast, leading to the Bohai Sea, where the five rivers that run through the city come together and empty out. About two-thirds of the city's total land area is hilly. Highways: Highways radiate outward in all directions from Beijing: northeast to Chengdo; eastward to Tangshan; southeast to Tanggu and Tianjin; southward to Hengshui, Baoding, and Shijiazhuang; southwest to Laiyuan; and northwest to Zhangliahou. Bus and Railroad Service: Trains are the most commonly used mode of passenger transportation in China, and Beijing is the nation's rail hub, serving as the terminus for many rail lines. Service is provided between Beijing and all Chinese provinces except Tibet. Beijing has four main train stations, of which the largest is the recently built West station in the southwest part of the city. Nearly every city in China, as well as many towns, can be reached from Beijing by train. Long-distance bus service is used primarily to travel between Beijing and its suburbs, or to nearby cities. However, some bus lines travel as far as Shanghai or Qungdao. Airports: Beijing Capital Airport, located about 30 kilometers (19 miles) northwest of the central city, is China's major international airport. Its domestic and international terminals are located in the same building, with a new international terminal under construction. Scheduled flights connect Beijing with Shanghai, Canton, and all other major Chinese cities and tourist sites. There are direct flights to many international capitals, including New York, Los Angeles, London, Paris, Rome, Tokyo, and Berlin. Nanyuan Airport, south of Beijing, is used for domestic flights. Beijing Population Profile City Proper Population: 6–8 million Area: 750 sq km (290 sq mi) Nicknames: The Celestial City, The Northern Capital, The Center of the World Metropolitan Area Population: 12,033,000 Description: Beijing Administrative Zone, which includes the city and its outskirt Area: 16,800 sq km (6,486 sq mi) World population rank 1: 12 Percentage of national population 2: 0.9% Average yearly growth rate: 1.3% Ethnic composition: 96.2% Han; 3.8% Manchu, Mongolian, Hui, and 52 other groups ——— Recomended Websites: http://www.china.org.cn/ http://www.china.org.cn/AcrossCountry/Beijing_w/beijing/indexe.htm Beijing Travel: http://www.chinatravel.com/beijing-travel/ Beijing Travel Guide: http://www.chinahighlights.com/beijing/ Voyage Pékin: http://www.voyageschine.com/pékin-voyage/ (Licence de Tourisme: L-GX-GJ00003) Government Offices Tourist and Convention Bureaus China International Travel Service (CITS) 103 Fu Xing Men Nei Dajie Beijing 100800 China Travel Service (CTS) Beijing Tourist Building 28 Jianguomenwai Dajie, 100022 State Bureau of Tourism Jie 3 Jian Guo Men Nei Dajie Beijing 100740 ***[Video Credit: China Central Television]